British Muslims are underrepresented in UK secular psychological well being providers, in comparison with different spiritual teams (NHS Digital, 2020; Workplace for Nationwide Statistics, 2022), are much less more likely to search skilled assist (Hamid & Furnham, 2013), and should expertise poorer remedy outcomes than people from different spiritual backgrounds (Baker & Kirk-Wade, 2024; Mir et al., 2019). Many are involved that therapists might method faith insensitively (Mayers et al., 2007), highlighting the necessity to enhance accessibility of psychological well being providers for spiritual purchasers (Ayub & Macaulay, 2023).
Proposed methods embody therapist–shopper religiosity matching and therapist respect for spiritual beliefs (Mayers et al., 2007, cited in Publish & Wade, 2009), although sensible steering stays unclear. This research explored British Muslims’ preconceptions of remedy with non-Muslim therapists to establish anticipated boundaries and facilitators to engagement (Hassan et al, 2025).
What are British Muslims’ perceived boundaries and facilitators to partaking in remedy with non-Muslim therapists?
Strategies
A qualitative on-line questionnaire research was performed, recruiting British Muslims (aged 18+ with no prior expertise of receiving or delivering remedy) through Twitter, LinkedIn, and WhatsApp (June–August 2022). After on-line consent, members considered a CBT vignette and a therapist video discussing the significance of acknowledging both normal shopper values or faith in remedy (Hassan et al., 2024). Individuals then offered a written response to a immediate, which requested about their views on remedy with a non-Muslim therapist.
Reflexive thematic evaluation was performed following Braun and Clarke (2006, 2019) and Robinson’s (2022) method to organising giant qualitative datasets in Excel. Responses have been iteratively coded to establish recurring themes and contradictory views. Information from each experimental situations have been mixed as a result of substantial thematic overlap. Reflexive discussions have been used to look at researcher positionality and potential biases, together with these of the lead researcher, a British-Pakistani Muslim girl.
Outcomes
Of 136 responses, 56 have been excluded for not answering the query, leaving 80 for evaluation. Most members have been feminine, Sunni, aged 18–50, and Asian or Asian British. Smaller numbers recognized as African/Black British, Arab or Arab-mixed heritage, White British, or Different.
Themes
1. Perception variations as a barrier
Some members felt basic perception variations would hinder therapeutic connection and depth of help. One famous a Muslim therapist has:
a greater understanding of my place as we’re located throughout the identical framework.
Others felt non-Muslim therapists may deal with solely surface-level points:
a non-Muslim therapist would possibly assist me repair the issue on the floor degree however I’m not assured they are going to be capable to get to the foundation of the issue.
Some described spiritual coping as alternate options to remedy, together with…
belief in Allah, salah, dua, robust household and group ties.
2. Worry of judgement
Individuals expressed concern they won’t really feel understood or revered in remedy…
Non-Muslim folks have a tendency to simply not perceive what it actually means to be spiritual… patronising attitudes.
I’d be fearful {that a} non-Muslim therapist can be judgemental about my religion.
…Issues of systemic surveillance…
fear about being referred to Forestall… this might have an effect on my skill to soundly entry remedy.
And of battle about beliefs…
I’d be fearful {that a} non-Muslim therapist can be judgemental about my religion, I’m a really conservative Muslim and consider that sharia [Islamic law] ought to be adhered to strictly.
3. Most felt remedy may very well be efficient with respectful, knowledgeable therapists
Most members famous remedy may very well be efficient if therapists have been acknowledging and respectful in direction of particular person’s beliefs. Associated to this, an “Islamic utility” of CBT was instructed, maybe indicating that people felt that CBT ought to be sympathetic and complimentary to perception methods. Some additionally felt therapists ought to have some type of non secular understanding, or perceive Muslim religion and tradition. Different valued traits included gender matching {and professional} competence, with a minority prioritising therapist talent over religiosity and a few noting differing views would possibly even be helpful, offered remedy was sympathetic to their values: “getting a different viewpoint is useful’’.
Amongst 80 Muslim respondents, perception variations and fears of judgment hindered the work with non-Muslim therapists, although respect and cultural competence rendered remedy efficient.
Conclusions
This research identifies perceived boundaries to remedy engagement amongst British Muslims, together with perception variations, worry of judgement, and systemic mistrust. Individuals indicated remedy may very well be acceptable if clinicians demonstrated respect for Islamic beliefs and cultural and spiritual data and understanding. Some instructed adapting CBT to align with spiritual values, though particular variations have been unclear.
Nonetheless, participant views on this research replicate preconceptions reasonably than remedy experiences, and you will need to understand that precise challenges with non-Muslim therapists might differ to these anticipated. Findings additionally spotlight that Muslim communities might really feel fairly unsure in direction of remedy previous to remedy, and may gain advantage from initiatives to advertise remedy and psychological well being providers locally.
For non-Muslim therapists there could also be a must construct belief in remedy and develop religiously affirming practices in scientific care.
Strengths and limitations
This research affords perception into British Muslims’ anticipatory fears and expectations of remedy with non-Muslim clinicians, highlighting the significance of therapist cultural and spiritual sensitivity. Nonetheless, arguably, past therapist coaching round spiritual and cultural competency, it contributes little to scientific observe, as respect and acceptance for spiritual variations are already core therapeutic values.
Counting on a single open-ended query additionally limits understanding of why members held specific preconceptions and investigation of what a religiously affirming CBT would possibly contain, limiting implications for observe.
Inspecting preconceptions reasonably than lived experiences makes findings extra informative about boundaries to help-seeking than remedy challenges. This limits the implications for therapist coaching past trust-building and cultural and spiritual competence for Muslim purchasers, as a result of members’ restricted remedy expertise meant they might provide little perception into what improves consolation throughout remedy. On this method, findings could also be extra reflective of broader group attitudes, highlighting a necessity for proactive promotion of remedy/psychological well being providers inside Muslim communities.
Choice bias can be probably on this research, as older adults have been underrepresented and members have been recruited through social media. This may occasionally restrict the extent to which findings relate to the broader Muslim group, and their general usefulness in informing spiritual and cultural variations to remedy.
Inside this context, members talked about fears of being referred to ‘Forestall’ (CONTEST counter-terrorism technique). In consideration of the latest literature on the affect of ‘Forestall’ among the many British Muslim group, the event of a surveillance tradition and the racialisation of Islam (Bruchhaus & Abbas, 2022; Zempi & Tripli, 2022), it could have had added worth to meaningfully assess this in relation to psychological remedy entry and collaboration with non-Muslim clinicians (Younis et al., 2019).
Individuals’ reported worries of Forestall referrals spotlight the position of surveillance stigma in remedy boundaries, warranting future analysis on countering it to reinforce entry.
Implications for observe
This research means that enhancing therapist cultural and spiritual competence, reasonably than matching purchasers and therapists by religion, could also be a possible option to enhance engagement with remedy providers. It additionally highlights that demonstrating spiritual and cultural competence may assist to construct belief, and suggests a necessity to advertise therapy-acceptance and deal with damaging preconceptions in direction of remedy inside Muslim communities.
Because the research examined solely preconceptions, future analysis ought to discover whether or not British Muslims with remedy expertise report the identical boundaries and facilitators, to see how anticipated challenges manifest in observe.
Findings may make clear what constitutes actually affirmative remedy, guiding therapist coaching to strengthen shopper–therapist relationships, adapt CBT for cultural and spiritual sensitivity, and navigate conditions the place scientific recommendation might battle with spiritual beliefs.
Analysis may additionally study community-based methods to enhance remedy acceptance and accessibility—for instance, evaluating the affect of posters, web sites, and leaflets—and discover why some Muslims really feel much less in want of remedy as a result of spiritual or group assets/faith, which can provide insights for non-Muslim people searching for alternate options to formal psychological well being help.
Extra analysis is required to outline religiously affirming remedy and deal with damaging attitudes which will impede help-seeking.
Assertion of pursuits
Ellie Davis – No battle of pursuits.
Edited by
Dr Dafni Katsampa.
Hyperlinks
Main paper
Hassan H, Lack S, Salkovskis PM, Thew GR (2025). British Muslims’ perceptions of remedy with non-Muslim therapists: A qualitative evaluation of survey responses. Psychol Psychother. 2025 Nov 14. doi: 10.1111/papt.70023.
Different references
Ayub, R., & Macaulay, P. J. (2023). Perceptions from the British Pakistani Muslim group in direction of psychological well being. Psychological Well being, Faith and Tradition, 26, 1–16.
Baker, C., & Kirk‐Wade, E. (2024). Psychological well being statistics: prevalence, providers and funding in England.
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Utilizing thematic evaluation in psychology. Qualitative Analysis in Psychology, 3(2), 77–101.
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2019). Reflecting on reflexive thematic evaluation. Qualitative Analysis in Sport, Train and Well being, 11(4), 589–597.
Bruchhaus, J., & Abbas, T. (2025). The suspect citizen: Institutional Islamophobia, stop, and the British Muslim expertise. The British Journal of Politics and Worldwide Relations, 0(0).
Digital, N. H. S. (2020). Psychological therapies, annual report on using IAPT providers 2019‐20 ‐ NHS Digital.
Hamid, A., & Furnham, A. (2013). Components affecting perspective in direction of searching for skilled assist for psychological sickness: A UK Arab perspective. Psychological Well being, Faith and Tradition, 16(7), 741–758.
Hassan, H., Lack, S., Salkovskis, P. M., & Thew, G. R. (2024). Acknowledging faith in cognitive behavioural remedy: The impact on alliance, remedy expectations and credibility in a video‐vignette research. British Journal of Scientific Psychology, 63(3), 347–361.
Mayers, C., Leavey, G., Vallianatou, C., & Barker, C. (2007). How purchasers with spiritual or non secular beliefs expertise psychological assist‐searching for and remedy: A qualitative research. Scientific Psychology & Psychotherapy, 14(4), 317–327.
Workplace for Nationwide Statistics. (2022). Socio‐demographic variations in use of Enhancing Entry to Psychological Therapies providers, England ‐ Workplace for Nationwide Statistics (gov.uk).
Publish, B. C., & Wade, N. G. (2009). Faith and spirituality in psychotherapy: A observe‐pleasant evaluation of analysis. Journal of Scientific Psychology, 65(2), 131–146.
Robinson, O. C. (2022). Conducting thematic evaluation on transient texts: The structured tabular method. Qualitative Psychology, 9(2), 194–208.
Zempi, I., & Tripli, A. (2022). Listening to Muslim College students’ Voices on the Forestall Responsibility in British Universities: A Qualitative Research. Training, Citizenship and Social Justice, 18(2), 230-245.
Younis T, Jadhav S. Protecting Our Mouths Shut: The Worry and Racialized Self-Censorship of British Healthcare Professionals in PREVENT Coaching. Cult Med Psychiatry. 2019 Sep;43(3):404-424. doi: 10.1007/s11013-019-09629-6.
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